Your work. Your records.
Workplace Records for Proofreaders and Copy Markers
A correction can appear in one proof and disappear in a later version prepared by someone else. When a workplace concern involves an overlooked change or a deadline, the useful starting point is the version and scope assigned to you. Describe your own work and instructions without keeping copies of unpublished client material or treating the final publication as a complete record of your contribution.
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A record map for your role
What to organize first
Version and scope
Record the assigned version, deadline and requested checks without unpublished content.
Correction sequence
Distinguish your submitted change, any query and a later revision or response.
Personal work-period records
Keep your own permitted time and pay documents with relevant assignment instructions.
Client-material boundary
Identify version dates and record types without retaining manuscripts, full histories or confidential client files.
Start with the work you actually do
Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors. Excludes workers whose primary duty is editing copy. Includes proofreaders of braille.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Proofreaders and Copy Markers (43-9081.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.Source task 5159 · updated 07/2016
- Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.Source task 5160 · updated 07/2016
- Correct or record omissions, errors, or inconsistencies found.Source task 5158 · updated 07/2016
- Compare information or figures on one record against same data on other records, or with original copy, to detect errors.Source task 5161 · updated 07/2016
Identify the assigned version and review scope
Note when you received the work, the version label if you are permitted to record it, the deadline and the checks requested. Separate proofreading, fact checking and substantive editing when the instructions make those distinctions. If a replacement proof arrived or the scope changed, record the sequence and who directed it. Avoid reproducing unpublished passages, confidential subject matter or client identifiers in your personal account.
Separate your correction from later revisions
For disputed feedback, describe the type of correction and when you submitted or queried it. Note whether you were asked to check a revised proof and what response you received. Do not assume a later error shows that a particular person introduced it. Keep your own permitted performance notice or clarification message, and identify relevant version dates for an authorized reviewer rather than downloading the whole editorial history.
Record deadlines and work periods independently
Group your own assignment messages, time entries and pay statements for the period in question. If a late replacement or additional pass changed your workday, note the instruction and the time you recall spending, labeling estimates. Distinguish a document’s modification timestamp from your actual working interval. Keep originals of your own permitted records and use a separate summary for questions; do not change client proofs to support an employment account.
How the occupation source is used
The selected O*NET 31.0 tasks include marking copy, checking corrected proofs, recording omissions and comparing information across records. These task records are dated July 2016. Their occupational context does not imply that every present-day workflow uses printed proofs, establish ownership of editorial content or determine employment classification or pay entitlement.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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